1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a dust ruffle structure for placement onto and around a box spring of a bed. More particularly I have provided a dust ruffle structure capable of being easily installed and adjusted for proper length and width on a mattress foundation to avoid any need to remove an upper mattress therefrom and to avoid any need for lifting the mattress foundation. Furthermore, my dust ruffle structure is easily removable from a mattress foundation without the need to lift the mattress foundation and without the need to unfasten the dust ruffle structure from specific fasteners positioned on the dust ruffle. I have further provided a dust ruffle structure that is easy to manufacture by allowing existing dust ruffle skirting material to be easily modified in accordance with the present invention.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional dust ruffles comprise a ruffled type skirt that is attached around the edges of a sheet. The dust ruffle and sheet are sized to be placed onto a lower mattress portion or a box spring of a bed. In order to install or remove a conventional dust ruffle from a bed one must generally remove the upper mattress and possibly also lift the box spring. Dust ruffles are seldom removed from beds because of the difficulty involved in removing the upper mattress and possibly lifting the box spring.
Other dust ruffles require the use of special fasteners to securely attach the dust ruffle to a bed. For example, the dust ruffle described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,531 discloses the use of a dust ruffle that extends around the edges of a box spring and is attached with fasteners along the upper edge of the dust ruffle to opposing fasteners positioned on the upper edge of the box spring. This type of dust ruffle requires one to have special fasteners positioned on the box spring, and further requires one to specifically fasten the dust ruffle to each fastener in a time consuming manual method. Since not all beds are the same height, one is required to have a dust ruffle of a predetermined exact width for each bed, otherwise the dust ruffle may be too wide thereby having an excessive amount of dust ruffle material on the floor, or the dust ruffle may not be wide enough thereby exposing too much of the bed structure from underneath the dust ruffle.
There have been various types of dust ruffles available in the marketplace, but none have gained widespread acceptance because of their difficulty of installation and removal. In addition, other types of dust ruffles require constant readjustment of the dust ruffle when the bed is made. It is therefore desirable to provide a dust ruffle structure that can be quickly and easily installed, quickly and easily removed, and is adjustable to accommodate various bed heights.
These and other types of dust ruffles disclosed in the prior art do not offer the flexibility and inventive features of my improved dust ruffle. As will be described in greater detail hereinafter, the improved dust ruffle structure of the present invention differs from those previously proposed.